Game 1 of Eastern Conference series goes to Miami

From the onset of their 110-87 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat appeared prepared to put together a rout. The first five Heat possessions went like this: five shots, five makes, five assists. Not bad.

The night continued on in this manner, with the exception of a small Bucks run in the second quarter. Miami walked into halftime with a 52-45 advantage and quickly extended that in the third though a 13-6 run to open the second half.

Miami had endured Milwaukee's strongest effort, held firm and punched back. Don't expect much more back and forth in this first-round series going forward. The Bucks did their best to hang around for the better part of 24 minutes, but, fact is, they finished 28 games back of the Heat's 66-16 record, the NBA's best.

In reality, there is no battle between these teams. The Heat's talent is far too great, and it is sure to overwhelm the Bucks every time the teams meet. This series is really about the juxtaposition of approaches: efficient vs. inefficient.

The Heat are anchored by LeBron James, one of the NBA's most effective players, and he proved to be just that on Sunday with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assist on 9-of-11 shooting. James' effect on the game was on display, as he scored or assisted on 44 of the Miami Heat's 110 points.

On the other end, the Bucks' two best players scored 48 points on 49 shots, and Sunday was not an anomaly. The Bucks depend on two small guards who favor defended drives and pull-up jump shots, which, on misses, are sure to equal fast breaks for the opponent. Brandon Jennings had 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting, and Monta Ellis added 22 points on 8-of-19 from the field.

As a team, the Bucks used 82 attempts to score 87 points; Miami needed 68 to score 110. The Heat did this all season, averaging a league-best 110.3 points per 100 possessions, with the Bucks scoring 100.9 points per 100 possessions, on par with the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, both of whom fired their coach after missing the playoffs.

What most affects both teams' ability — or inability — to be efficient is their approach to offense. Miami uses hard drives and transition outlets to either score at the basket or kick out for open 3-point attempts. Because the Bucks' best players handle the ball, there are fewer passes and the offense remains far more stagnant.

An example of this came on Sunday, when the Bucks assisted on 14-of-34 makes, mostly because Ellis and Jennings' points came on individual scores. Look at the Heat offense and you'll see it had 38 buckets on 22 assists.

James is at the center of Miami's willingness to share, but that unselfishness is helped by the Heat's wealth of options. Jennings and Ellis often had to start and finish plays because there was no one low to hand off to, especially with big man Larry Sanders in and out of the lineup with foul trouble.

But the approach the Bucks used Sunday is the same used in their worst defeats. In losses of more than 20 points — the Bucks had three before Sunday — they averaged 86.7 shot attempts and made 30.0. Only 17.3 of those makes came on an assist. By contrast, Milwaukee averaged 24.8 assists on 39.9 field goals in 38 wins, numbers better mirroring Miami's.

There is no quick fix for the Bucks, whose season is sure to end within the next few weeks. The Heat will continue to take their time, long after the Bucks have exited the postseason.